By Habibu Harisu

Sokoto State Government has commenced mobilisation of herdsmen, farmers and other community members to form joint groups of volunteers to provide security to their communities.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the groups are meant to complement the efforts of security agencies in tackling banditry and other crimes.

According to Alhaji Lawalli Fakku, Chairman of Kebbe Local Government Area, Gov. Aminu Tambuwal had directed for meetings with all stakeholders to agree on modalities for the operation of the local security guards.

The Chairman made the disclosure on Saturday in Kebbe at an interactive meeting with representatives of security agencies, traditional and religious leaders, farmers, heardsmen and local government authorities on the issue.

Fakku said the community watch groups would be set up in all local government areas currently facing security challenges such as farmers/herdsmen conflicts, cattle rustling, kidnapping and robbery.

He said that areas bordering Zamfara and Kebbi that witnessed annual influx of herders and other settlers would also have the voluntary security group.

The National Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Muhammadu Kiruwa, who chaired the meeting, said similar efforts were undertaken by Ebonyi, Ekiti and Ondo states and it yielded positive impact.

Kiruwa said the measure was planned to be replicated accross the nation, noting that laws prohibiting child grazing and night grazing would soon be enforced.

He described herdsmen in Nigeria as the most negligent group of wealthy persons in the world for surrendering their assets worth millions in the hands of minors.

Kiruwa urged herdsmen to nominate people among themselves who would serve in the security group in each area, saying it was in the interest of all to have peaceful and secure communities.

The MACBAN national chairman stated that the initiative would contribute to providing insider knowledge and in fishing out bandits within community settings.

He stressed that the combined volunteers platforms would greatly enhance government agencies efforts in tackling all forms of crimes.

This meeting aims at providing opportunity to facilitate understanding of differences, foster unity and cordial relationship among diverse ethnic groups in the area and persuade them to participate in the joint vigilante groups, he said.

Kiruwa enjoined the people to be law abiding, stop taking laws into their hands and voluntarilly surrender all guns in their possession to relevant authorities.

Speaking also, Lt.Col. Ibrahim Sherif, the Commanding Officer, 26 Battalion of Nigerian Army Sokoto, said military and other security agencies attended the stakeholders meeting in line with the directive of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Burutai.

Sherif said he represented the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Division of Nigeria Army Sokoto, Maj. Gen. Hakeem Otiki.

He noted that the GOC had since deployed troops to Kebbe and environs to handle security challenges in the area.

The District Head of Balle, Alhaji Abubakar Kassim described the meeting as timely and assured of traditional rulers cooperation toward achieving success.

Kassim and other traditional rulers at the meeting urged for a law to ban night and child grazing, as well as providing accomodation to strangers.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that three representatives of herdsmen, farmers and community leaders were allowed to speak on participatory actions and challenges on the proposal. (NAN)

Source: NAN

The battle to stop the Imo Governor Rochas Okorocha from going to the Senate took another dimension on Saturday as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was ordered not to issue a Certificate of Return to him as a senator-elect for Imo West.

The order was made by a High Court sitting in Owerri.

The court, in a suit filed by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senatorial candidate for Imo West Hon Jones Onyeriri against the INEC, ordered that the status quo be maintained until the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.

The presiding judge, Justice E.F. Njemanze,adjournedthe case till June 5 2019, for hearing.

Source: NAN

.Warns of imminent Xenophobic attacks on Nigerian girls

By Ifeanyi Nwoko

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons ( NAPTIP ) is seeking an agreement between Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries to end the practice of Nigerian girls being used as sex slaves in Mali.

At a presentation to the ECOWAS Parliament during its First Ordinary Session on Saturday, NAPTIP Director-General Julie Okah-Donli told members of parliament that Nigerian girls were being sold for between N210,000 and N240,000 to work as prostitutes.

Presenting the report of the fact-finding mission to Mali, Okah-Donli said that after being sold, the girls were made to pay back between N1.08 million and N1.2 million, usually within eight months, to their madams.

She said that after gaining their freedom from their madams, the girls would then go into business, making money for themselves through prostitutions before graduating to madams of their own.

There are more than one million Nigerians residing in Mali. About 20,000 of these Nigerians are girls believed to be victims of trafficking and the number increases by 50 per day.

Many victims are deceived to leave their livelihoods in Nigeria for greener pastures in Mali.

Some of the victims are abducted from Nigeria, including those that arrive in school uniforms.

On arrival at the border townbetween Burkina Faso and Mali, many of the girls are sold off for CFA 350,000 to 400,000; their new owners then make them pay back about CFA 1.6 million to CFA 2 million with one CFA being 0.6 Naira, she said.

Okah-Donli said that as part of efforts to curb the trend, the mission recommended among other things, that Nigeria should develop a Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU) with Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin Republic, Guinea and Senegal.

The mission further recommended that all motor-parks through which the girls were trafficked should be sanitised and efforts made to stop extortion of Nigerians travelling to or through the aforementioned countries, she said.

There is need for comprehensive sensitisation of rescued victims before repatriation and a comprehensive blueprint worked out for tracing, empowerment and rehabilitation of victims, Okah-Donli said.

She said NAPTIP was ready to give technical support to Mali if it sought to establish an anti-human trafficking agency.

For the ECOWAS Parliament, the mission recommended that the protocol on Free Movement of persons and goods be properly implemented such that other nationals are not harassed in other ECOWAS countries, the director-general said.

Throwing more light on the findings of the mission, Okah-Donli said that efforts to repatriate girls were usually foiled through the complicity of Malian security forces, coupled with the willingness of many girls to return to the sex-for-gold trade.

She said that there were some of the girls who were trafficked to the northern parts of Mali where they not only offered sex but were radicalized.

She said that many of the victims who were rescued in 2011 and some others in 2017, came back to Nigeria only to return with more girls.

The director-general further said some of the sex slaves were made to sleep with numerous men without protection while also being made to pay huge taxes by the complicit Malian authorities.

She raised the alarm that there was now a growing possibility of xenophobic attacks as Malian women were already grumbling that Nigerians were taking their men.

The Malian authorities collect taxes from the victims on a weekly basis and sell condoms and other medications compulsorily to their victims every month.

Malian women are already grumbling that Nigerian girls are taking their men, and there are fears of imminent xenophobic attacks.

Three Nigerian girls were killed between November and December 2018, Okah-Donli said.

She said that efforts to stop the trade at the borders had not been encouraged by border security as they had not made efforts to arrest the traffickers in spite of all information given to them.

The border point between Nigeria and Seme-Krake and Burma Fas/Mali are notoriously porous, and despite numerous reports and pictures of traffickers sent to law enforcement agencies at the borders, no arrests or rescues have been made.

The traffic madams are well known to the Nigerian community but they are afraid to report them because of the complicity of the Malian security agencies in human trafficking, especially the gendarmerie who assist the traffickers to carry out their activities.

Nigerian victims are way-billed from a motor-park in Cotonou, dropped at Sikasso near the border with Burkina Faso, from where they are picked by Malian gendarmerie for delivery to their madams, she said.

The director-general added that the Nigerian sex slaves lived in about 300 settlements in Malian bushes, with each settlement holding 100 to 150 girls.

The girls, aged between 16 and over 30, hang around bars and night clubs to display for their clients who take them into their huts made of polythene, Okah-Donli said.

As part of effort to curb the menace, she said the team met with the Ministry of Justice in Mali to find solution to the menace.

She said that the Malian Justice Ministry had called on NAPTIP to come up with an MoU that would provide a proper framework to end the trafficking and repatriate those already trafficked.

Source: NAN

Peruvian authorities were scrambling to assess the damage after an earthquake with a magnitude as high as 8.0 rocked the Peruvian Amazon region in the early hours of Sunday morning, leaving at least one person dead.

Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra left Lima early this morning to survey the damage following the strong quake that struck the Loreto region of northern Peru.

This is a quake of great magnitude, the biggest in 12 years, since 2007, Vizcarra told reporters.

At least one person in the Cajamarca region was killed after a boulder struck his home, emergency officials said. Perus National Emergency Center(COEN) said there were at least 11 people injured and more than 50 homes destroyed. Several schools, churches, hospitals and clinics also reported damages.

The quake, rated as one of intermediate depth at around 110 kilometres, was felt around the country, and as far off as Colombia and Ecuador.

Intermediate depth quakes typically cause less surface damage than shallower tremors. Peru sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire where the majority of the worlds seismic activity occurs.

The earthquake was around 75 km SSE of Lagunas and 180 km east of the town of Moyobamba, the USGS said.

There were local reports of electric power cuts in the cities of Iquitos and Tarapoto, Amazonian towns in the Loreto region of the country. Pictures and videos online also showed some cracked and damaged walls, homes shaking and a collapsed bridge.

In neighboring Ecuador, the quake was strongest near Yantzaza, in that countrys remote and sparsely populated Amazon region, causing momentary power outages.

Ecuadorian officials reported at least seven people injured, as well as mudslides and minor damage to homes. The countrys oil and mining infrastructure was operating normally, Ecuadorian Vice President Otto Sonnenholzner said on Twitter.

Reuters

Source: NAN

By Hamza Suleiman

The Nigerian Army has denied media reports that 25 soldiers were killed in an attack coordinated by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno.

The Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sagir Musa, made the denial in a Short Message (SMS) sent to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri on Sunday.

Some reports claimed 25 soldiers were killed on Saturday when the insurgents attacked a military convoy evacuating civilians on Damboa-Biu Road.

Musa dismissed the report as rumour and fake.

Contrary to rumour and fake news circulating, there was no attack on any of our troops locations at Sabon Gari or any other locations in Borno State.

I have spoken with the Special Force Commander in Damboa and he confirmed to me that there was nothing of such in Damboa or any of his locations as at Friday) and Saturday, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN

By Franca Ofili

A Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Kingsley Ferdinand, has advised Nigerians to always study and obey the word of God in order to have innermost peace to prevent them from opting for suicide in difficult moments.

Ferdinand, the Associate Priest at SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Nyanya, Abuja, gave the advice at Mass on Sunday.

He said that suicide should never be an option to any problem.

When we properly study and obey the word of God which gives us innermost peace, we will never think of committing suicide.

I tell you nothing will give you peace on this earth except when you have that innermost peace, Ferdinand said.

He said the world was full of insecurity, violence and hardship but stressed that only trust in God would help the people to achieve their goals.

He advised Nigerians to turn to God who is the only solution in the face of any depression.

Ferdinand said that people should learn how to share problems with others as the saying goes a problem shared is problem half solved.

Most people that commit suicide do not share their problems with others. Do not bottle everything up, learn to discuss your problems.

Also when a lot of things are beyond your power, you should learn to leave them to God, he said.

Ferdinand recalled Pope Francis advice that the less you respond to negative people, the more peaceful your life becomes.

He called on Nigerians to pray that peace, progress and unity would prevail among the people.

Ferdinand also called on Nigerians to trust in God in order to have peaceful lives and to shun all tendencies that would not take the country to greater heights. (NAN)

Source: NAN

Who is the Ideal Stakeholder in Project Management

The ideal stakeholder is someone who:-

• Shows an interest in the project or program

• Makes themselves available when necessary

• Assigns qualified personnel to act on their behalf when they're unavailable

• Willingness to be accountable

• Reviews and signs required documents in a timely manner

• Tells you their communication preferences

• Prioritises their preferences and requirements

• Doesn't pressure project managers to circument the project management process

• Looks for opportunities to provide relief to the project team as appropriate

• Helps motivate project personnel

• Shows appreciation for good work

About

We are welcoming all tech entrepreneurs and developers, both experienced and amateur alike, to join us in forming a community to leverage our collective experience, gain insight on current trends in Tech, develop standards to improve the quality of our products and network to create new opportunities.

Looking forward to collaborating with everyone on this journey.

Commenced: Tuesday October 31 2017

Member Strength: 1603

Meetup City: Lagos

Join Mode: open

Open To: public

Web Address:

Organizer: Anthony Jonah

Source: Meetup

About

This is group is for anyone who who has a passion for an understands the importance of BigData and Open Source Analytics in today's world. We'll have speakers, good food, drinks and company!

Commenced: Monday February 29 2016

Member Strength: 1052

Meetup City: Lagos

Join Mode: open

Open To: public

Web Address:

Organizer: Adebayo Aderibigbe

Source: Meetup

Grant is available for the high achieving UK/EU or international students, who commence inundergraduateorpostgraduatedegree coursework at the university.

Eligibility

• Eligible Countries:Citizens form UK/EU or all around the world
• Acceptable Course or Subjects: Undergraduate or postgraduate coursework in any subject
• Admissible Criteria: Applicant must have a passport domiciled to the country in question, have applied on Buckinghamshire New Universitys website or selected the university as their firm choice institution via UCAS application, hold an offer for a full-time undergraduate, undergraduate with foundation, or postgraduate course for September 2019.
• Candidates need to meet the entry criteria for the applied course, including interview, portfolio, audition, DBS check and/or health requirements for applicable courses and have applied to live in Brook Street Halls of Residence via the university office.

How to apply:For applying to this education award, claimants need to take admission in an undergraduate or postgraduate degree at the university. After enrolling, you can complete the award application form and submit it [email protected].

• Supporting Documents:You need to attach the educational certificate, personal statement, and a CV.
• Admission Requirements:For admission, aspirants need to have high school and graduate degree certificates with good academic grades.
• Language Requirement:Seekers are required to meet the English language requirements of their intended course of study.

Benefits:The grant is offered to support living expenses worth up to 250.

Application Deadline:July 31, 2019

Source: Scholarships And Aid